Twitter is following Facebook by opening up its live video platform

Twitter will make it easier for companies to stream live video on its service with the launch on Tuesday of a new set of features aimed at professional broadcasters, Business Insider has learned.

Media organizations and advertisers will be able to stream live video directly on Twitter using professional camera equipment, a person familiar with the matter said. Anyone can stream live video using the Twitter mobile app already, but broadcasters currently have no way of streaming with professional equipment unless they strike a deal with Twitter directly.

To stream live video on Twitter, companies have so far been forced to use the Twitter-owned Periscope live streaming app, which is complex to use with professional equipment and not directly integrated with Twitter. The company's new interface will let professional broadcasters bypass the Periscope app altogether and stream video directly from their Twitter accounts.

Update: Twitter confirmed its new tools for live video on Tuesday in a blog post. The company also announced a number of outside partners that have the ability to stream live video directly on its platform, including Brandlive, Livestream Studio, and Telescope.

"This move by Twitter makes live video even more attractive to the world's best brands," Brandlive CEO Fritz Brumder said in a statement to Business Insider. "Brands are adopting live video for some of the most innovative marketing efforts today such as live video commerce events, exciting product launches and even live video concert and runway fashion shows. We are excited about the Periscope/Brandlive integration as it makes it easier for these brands to reach more audiences with the same production effort."

Twitter wants to encourage the creation of more live video on its platform, which in turn could help the company revive its stagnant growth as its stock languishes near all-time lows. The move also follows in the steps of Facebook, which announced its own set of live video tools for broadcasters back in April.

Twitter has struck a number of its own live partnerships in recent months, including deals for the NFL's Thursday Night Football games and financial news shows from Cheddar and Bloomberg. It's unclear if those select deals will remain a key part of Twitter's strategy, or if the company will choose to fund more live video shows from publishers like Facebook has done in the past.